


this fight is far from over

by wlwrwby



Category: RWBY
Genre: Character Study, Child Soldiers, Found Family, Gen, JanuRWBY, Team as Family, inspired by rwby soundtrack, more of a character study on everyone as a whole, no beta we die like redheads in rwby, not focused on any specific character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:55:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28487184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wlwrwby/pseuds/wlwrwby
Summary: The war went on, and there seemed to be no end in sight. They grew older and taller and even more scarred. Each battlefield became a prospective graveyard, each day they woke up and wondered if it would be their last.So in the end, before each battle, they decided they would never say goodbye. Instead, “I love you,” “I’ll see you again,” “Thank you,” or in some cases “I’m sorry.”
Relationships: Team JNPR & Team RWBY
Comments: 3
Kudos: 32





	this fight is far from over

**Author's Note:**

> (loosely) inspired by Time to Say Goodbye for JanuRWBY prompt Day 2: Soundtrack Song!

To live the life of a Huntsman or Huntress was to live a life never once void of adventure. It was to life a fulfilling life, one of heroics and glory and battles and victories. 

To live the life of a soldier was another story. You took orders without question, followed in line no matter the cost. You lost all individuality for the sake of victory and sacrifice. 

To live the life of a hero...well, heroes were their own breed. No one sought out becoming a hero. It just happened. And you couldn’t do anything to stop it. The title would force itself upon you when you least expect it, leaving you to realize what you had become and what was inevitable. And sometimes, you wouldn’t even hear the title with your own ears. It would be placed upon you after your untimely death, for heroes were far too often made martyrs. 

Teams RWBY, JNPR, and Oscar learned this all as they grew. They learned it the hard way. 

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what category they would one day soon fall under, for they had already lost a hero of their own. 

Perhaps one day soon, they would join her in the rank of ‘hero.’ And maybe, a voice whispered in each of their heads, they already had. 

* * *

It began with a ‘when’ and ended with an ‘if.’ 

“When we graduate,” they would say, “let’s visit Patch. All eight of us.” 

Beacon fell. Eight turned into seven. 

“When we find whoever did this, we’ll reunite Team RWBY.” 

But it was bigger than they ever could’ve realized. 

“When the war ends, we should buy a house together. Or two right next to each other, if we all don’t wanna squish in.” 

Then came Haven. Then Weiss got impaled and was mere seconds from death, then they all got separated and almost died at the hands of the Apathy, then Blake and Yang were forced to relieve the world of a human life. 

Then, ‘when’ turned into ‘if.’ 

Ruby was the first to say it. 

“When...If there comes a day when this is all over, I want to help rebuild Beacon.” 

The others were soon to follow, for they had already been thinking the same thing. 

“If we make it out of this, we should all take a vacation. We could go to Menagerie, visit my parents.” 

“If we ever go back to Argus, we need to take you somewhere.” 

“Even if there isn’t an end to this, even if we fall...at least we tried. No one can say otherwise.” 

The war went on, and there seemed to be no end in sight. They grew older and taller and even more scarred. Each battlefield became a prospective graveyard, each day they woke up and wondered if it would be their last. 

So in the end, before each battle, they decided they would never say goodbye. Instead, “I love you,” “I’ll see you again,” “Thank you,” or in some cases “I’m sorry.” 

But never, ever ‘goodbye.’ It would hurt far too much. 

No, they would only bid a farewell to the things they had already lost. Their childhoods, their innocence of their youths, the lives they would now never live. 

So there, at the end of the world on the edge of the battlefield, Salem just beyond reach, on the cusp of something called destiny, they looked each other in the eye. And with such love and dedication and promise and life, they each said:  


“I love you. See you on the other side.” 

Whatever that may be. 

\----- 

Out of all their years fighting the infinite war, they only had one return to the ‘when.’ 

It had been a quiet night camping out in the woods when Ruby had stared at them with an unbreakable intensity, stopping all conversation without yet uttering a single word. “When I fall, I want you to keep fighting. Keep going, keep moving forward. Promise me that.” 

She was illuminated by the flames of the fire, the shadows flickering on her face and casting her in the ferocity of nature itself, making her one with it. 

Any lesser person would’ve nodded instantly, too terrified to even challenge her orders. But they had been through hell and back and back again with Ruby. They had seen her die after Beacon, and they had seen her rebirth. So instead of turning and running, they stared back, just as fierce. 

One last ‘if.’ 

“If you fall, we’re falling with you. End of story.” 

It was a vow not to be taken lightly. And if it came to that? 

Well, only time would tell. 

* * *

And when the war was won and the battlefield was now just a field, there they were; surrounded by debris and dust and dirt and victory. But they were alive. One by one, the heroes raised their heads to meet each other’s eyes. In unison, they stood and met each other in the middle of the warzone. 

There they stood, in the middle of it all, evil defeated, clutching each other in one great hug like it was the end of the world. In a sense, it was. It was the end of all they’d known for far too long - war and destruction and devastation. But it was also the beginning of a new one. 

There was a long, grateful silence in which they were simply content to listen to each other’s breathing because _they were alive, despite the odds, despite all who’d fallen before them they had made it out on the other side-_

It hit them all at once. This was the other side. They’d made it. 

And one by one, they lifted their heads to reveal teary eyes and breathless giggles, and greeted each other on the other side of the war. 

“Hey.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Feel free to leave a comment or kudos below if you enjoyed, and I hope you have a lovely day.<33


End file.
